Will consumers pay more for food labeled “all natural”?
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The answer, most of the time, is yes, according to a “Journal of Food Science” study. The study put 120 people between the ages of 18 and 65 in a simulated shopping scenario. Most of the participants said they were willing to pay about 30 cents more for a jar of peanut butter labeled “all natural” than an unlabeled jar. The study sheds light on the power of marketing messages like “all natural.” (Food52)
Square Inc. has acquired a dining pick-up service.
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The website and app, OrderAhead, lets users place orders to go and skip the line. Square, a payments processor, will gain more access to restaurants and their customers through the acquisition, which could give a bump to its Caviar delivery provider. The move demonstrates the increasing necessity of tech-based delivery providers for restaurant operators. (Bloomberg)
Early data shows that soda taxes may curb consumers’ consumption of the sugary beverages.
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In three locales that have initiated taxes — Berkeley, Calif., Philadelphia and the country of Mexico — consumption has declined. Berkeley led the charge when it instated a soda tax in 2015, and it says soda consumption has declined 21 percent. Grocery stores and distributors in Philadelphia, which put a soda tax into effect this year, say sales have dropped up to 50 percent. (BuzzFeed)
Diversifying the farm labor force.
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Kendall Lamkey is the chairman of the agronomy department at Iowa State University. He says that the best way to inject new ideas into agronomy — the study of soil, plants and farming practices — is a more diverse workforce of agronomists. The most recent Census of Agriculture indicates that more than 95 percent of all U.S. farmers are white. In 2006, Lamkey spearheaded a statewide marketing campaign in Iowa to attract fresh blood to the field. So far, it’s proven successful. (The Salt/NPR)
Is this the best cheese on the planet?
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You might think the highest-quality cheeses come from venerable producers in countries like France and Italy. While that’s certainly true, American cheese-makers hold their own with their old-world counterparts. Case in point: Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma, Calif., which has built a devoted following of cheese-heads. Find out more about the producer’s Mt Tam variety, which has been singled out as one of its best. (The Kitchn)